I am stitching away at my first all-hand-sewn cote, and am wondering which way to "turn" the seams when I fell them. I remember dimly that the correct way for modern seams is that the side seams fold towards the back.... but what about medieval ones? And the side gores? and the sleeves? and that tricky bit where a seam going in one direction meets one coming from another direction? Does it matter, as long as the whole thing lies flat?

I think you answered your question in your last sentence. I find I do each garment differently as there just seems to be a natural way to go, depending on the cloth and the garment being made. I was very heartened to see in the "Bumper Book of Vikings" aka the Haithabu/Hedeby site report, that every type of seam I've used is represented in the finds there. This suggests to me that the Viking seamstresses of Hedeby were equally pragmatic.

Thank you - you're quite right - some seams have to lie one way and some another. The finished result looks fine from the outside (although heavily tucked and tacked after I decided to reshape the sleeves).("Bumper Book of Vikings"!! - love it.)